U.S. patent application number 15/691662 was filed with the patent office on 2018-03-15 for network-based real-time enterprise travel management apparatus, methods, and systems.
The applicant listed for this patent is Travelator Inc.. Invention is credited to Duke CHUNG, Ching-Ho FUNG, Jon MORGAN, Joseph WILLIAMS.
Application Number | 20180075391 15/691662 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61560073 |
Filed Date | 2018-03-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180075391 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHUNG; Duke ; et
al. |
March 15, 2018 |
NETWORK-BASED REAL-TIME ENTERPRISE TRAVEL MANAGEMENT APPARATUS,
METHODS, AND SYSTEMS
Abstract
A system for expense management including an expense management
apparatus. The expense management apparatus configured to receive,
from a client device, at least one parameter associated with an
event, construct at least one query based on the at least one
parameter, transmit the at least one query to a database, receive,
from the database, responsive data responding to the at least one
query, construct a benchmark, using a processing arrangement,
associated with the at least one parameter, and transmit the
benchmark to the client device.
Inventors: |
CHUNG; Duke; (San Francisco,
CA) ; FUNG; Ching-Ho; (Kirkland, WA) ; MORGAN;
Jon; (San Francisco, CA) ; WILLIAMS; Joseph;
(San Mateo, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Travelator Inc. |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
61560073 |
Appl. No.: |
15/691662 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62394792 |
Sep 15, 2016 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 40/125 20131203;
G06Q 10/025 20130101; G06Q 10/06393 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20060101
G06Q010/06; G06Q 40/00 20060101 G06Q040/00; G06Q 10/02 20060101
G06Q010/02 |
Claims
1. A system for expense management, comprising: an expense
management apparatus configured to: receive, from a client device,
at least one parameter associated with an event; construct at least
one query based on the at least one parameter; transmit the at
least one query to a database; receive, from the database,
responsive data responding to the at least one query; construct a
benchmark, using a processing arrangement, associated with the at
least one parameter; and transmit the benchmark to the client
device.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the event includes a travel
booking.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the benchmark includes a budget,
and the expense management apparatus is further configured to
receive, from the client device, at least one expense associated
with the budget.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the expense management apparatus
is further configured to provide a graphical representation of the
at least one expense relative to the budget.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the benchmark is transmitted to a
plurality of client devices.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the benchmark includes a budget,
and the expense management apparatus is further configured to
receive, from the plurality of client devices, at least one expense
associated with the budget.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the expense management apparatus
is further configured to provide a graphical representation of the
at least one expense received from the plurality of client devices
relative to the budget.
8. A system for travel management, comprising: a travel management
apparatus configured to: receive, from a client device, at least
one parameter associated with a user and an event; construct at
least one query based on the at least one parameter; transmit the
at least one query to a database; receive, from the database,
responsive data responding to the at least one query; analyze,
using a processing arrangement, historical data associated with the
user; construct attribution preferences, using a processing
arrangement, based on the historical data; apply, using a
processing arrangement, the attribution preferences to the
responsive data; and transmit, to the client device, a customized
data set based on the analyzed responsive data.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the event includes a travel
booking.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein analyzing the responsive data
includes at least one of filtering and sorting.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the attribution preferences
includes at least one of airline, time of day, number of stops,
type of seat, type of plane, possibility of upgrade, on-board
amenities, type of room, and airports.
12. The system of claim 8, wherein application of the attribution
preferences includes providing a weight of importance for each
attribution preference.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein each weight of importance is
correlated to a frequency for each attribution preference.
14. A system for travel management, comprising: a travel management
apparatus configured to: receive, from a client device, at least
one parameter associated with an event; construct at least one
query based on the at least one parameter; transmit the at least
one query to a database; receive, from the database, a plurality of
responsive data responding to the at least one query; construct a
benchmark associated with the at least one parameter; determine an
incentive corresponding to at least one of the plurality of
responsive data; and transmit the incentive to the client
device.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the event includes a travel
booking.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the responsive data
includes an associated incentive.
17. The system of claim 14, wherein a value of each associated
incentive is inversely proportional to a cost associated with each
of the responsive data.
18. The system of claim 14, wherein the travel management apparatus
is further configured to graphically represent the incentive.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 62/394,792, filed on Sep. 15, 2016, which is
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety,
FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed
to a network-based real-time travel management system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Business travel is typically a necessary and significant
expense for many companies, both from the perspective of the
business traveler and the organization. From the perspective of the
business traveler, the process of booking and being reimbursed for
business travel can be difficult and cumbersome. Additionally,
restrictive and antiquated corporate booking policies and systems,
including the processes and systems employed for reporting and
submitting expenses, can further complicate and unnecessarily
burden business travel.
[0004] From an organization's perspective, business travel can be
expensive and difficult to budget and forecast. Travel expenses can
vary widely depending on the destination, time-of-year of the
travel, the amount of advance booking, and for no apparent reason
at all. Forecasting travel expenses can be especially difficult for
travel that is rarely taken and/or have unusual destinations.
Further, even when business travelers are provided a budget,
travelers are typically unaware of their expenses relative to the
budget until the conclusion of their trip when they prepare an
expense report for reimbursement of expenses. Moreover, many
business travelers show significant disregard for expenses that are
being reimbursed by a company, and may try to take advantage of
business travel for their own reward (e.g., frequent flier
programs, etc.). Additionally, many business travelers have
increased expectations for nicer travel accommodations (e.g., first
class/business class flights, luxury hotels, etc.) when on business
travel, which can unnecessarily add to the expense of business
travel.
SUMMARY
[0005] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can provide a
system for expense management including an expense management
apparatus. The expense management apparatus can be configured to
receive, from a client device, at least one parameter associated
with an event, construct at least one query based on the at least
one parameter, transmit the at least one query to a database,
receive, from the database, responsive data responding to the at
least one query, construct a benchmark, using a processing
arrangement, associated with the at least one parameter, and
transmit the benchmark to the client device.
[0006] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the event can
include a travel booking. Further, the benchmark can include a
budget, and the expense management apparatus can be further
configured to receive, from the client device, at least one expense
associated with the budget. The expense management apparatus can be
further configured to provide a graphical representation of the at
least one expense relative to the budget.
[0007] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the benchmark
can be transmitted to a plurality of client devices. Further, the
benchmark can include a budget, and the expense management
apparatus can be further configured to receive, from the plurality
of client devices, at least one expense associated with the budget,
and the expense management apparatus can be further configured to
provide a graphical representation of the at least one expense
received from the plurality of client devices relative to the
budget.
[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention can provide a
system for travel management including a travel management
apparatus. The travel management apparatus can be configured to
receive, from a client device, at least one parameter associated
with a user and an event, construct at least one query based on the
at least one parameter, transmit the at least one query to a
database, receive, from the database, responsive data responding to
the at least one query, analyze, using a processing arrangement,
historical data associated with the user, construct attribution
preferences, using a processing arrangement, based on the
historical data, apply, using a processing arrangement, the
attribution preferences to the responsive data, and transmit, to
the client device, a customized data set based on the analyzed
responsive data.
[0009] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the event can
include a travel booking. Further, analyzing the responsive data
can include at least one of filtering and sorting, and the
attribution preferences can include at least one of airline, time
of day, number of stops, type of seat, type of plane, possibility
of upgrade, on-board amenities, type of room, and airports.
Additionally, application of the attribution preferences can
include providing a weight of importance for each attribution
preference, and each weight of importance can be correlated to a
frequency for each attribution preference.
[0010] Yet another embodiment of the present invention can provide
a system for travel management including a travel management
apparatus. The travel management apparatus can be configured to
receive, from a client device, at least one parameter associated
with an event, construct at least one query based on the at least
one parameter, transmit the at least one query to a database,
receive, from the database, a plurality of responsive data
responding to the at least one query, construct a benchmark
associated with the at least one parameter, determine an incentive
corresponding to at least one of the plurality of responsive data,
and transmit the incentive to the client device.
[0011] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the event can
include a travel booking. Further, each of the responsive data can
include an associated incentive, and a value of each associated
incentive can be inversely proportional to a cost associated with
each of the responsive data. Additionally, the travel management
apparatus can be further configured to graphically represent the
incentive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system according
to embodiments of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary travel management
apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an exemplary method according to
embodiments of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an exemplary screen shot according to embodiments
of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is flow chart of an exemplary method according to
embodiments of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary system according
to embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a
network-based real-time enterprise travel management system that
can facilitate travel expense forecasting, budgeting, booking, and
expense reporting, while simultaneously reducing the expenses
incurred by incentivizing cost-effective travel. Although
embodiments of the present invention are described with respect to
systems and methods for managing enterprise travel, the systems and
methods described herein are not limited thereto, and can be
applicable to any event and/or expense management.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary real-time enterprise travel
management system 100 according to an embodiment of the present
invention. As shown in FIG. 1, exemplary system 100 can include one
or more client devices 102 (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops,
personal computers, etc.) communicating over a connected network
106 (e.g., wireless or wired) to one or more databases 104 (e.g.,
server, etc.) to enable real-time management of enterprise travel.
Each client device 102 can include a mobile device executing an
application (e.g., an app or a web-based application) that can
enable data transmission and communication over network 106 between
client devices 102 and at least one database 104. According to
certain aspects of the present invention, the exemplary systems and
methods can facilitate, for example: establishing a
benchmark/forecast budget for a trip; automated real-time expense
tracking and reporting; incentivizing cost-effective travel
measures; and/or customizing travel itineraries to travel
preferences.
[0020] For example, certain exemplary embodiments of the present
invention can facilitate real-time benchmarking of anticipated
travel. According to certain exemplary embodiments, a user can
specify certain parameters of an upcoming trip. This can be done,
for example, via a mobile or web-based application on any client
device 102. For example, this may be similar to the user providing
trip parameters as if the user were making travel arrangements.
This can include, for example, dates of travel, destination,
accommodations, transportation, meals, etc. Accordingly, a user can
provide the parameters on an application on client 102. The
parameters can be processed (e.g., locally or transmitted to a
database via network 106), and based on the parameter information
provided by the user, the exemplary system can construct custom
queries and submit the queries to database(s) 104 via network 106
to obtain real-time pricing data in connection with the trip
parameters specified by the user. Upon receipt of data responsive
to the queries from database(s) 104 in response to the queries
based on the user-provided parameters, the system can process the
data to provide benchmark/forecast pricing data for the parameters
provided by the user. For example, the real-time querying can
include obtaining pricing data for all flight options (e.g.,
non-stop, single stop, multiple stops, time of day, etc.), all
accommodation options (e.g., hotels of all ratings, motels,
hostels, etc.), all transportation options (e.g., taxis, car
service, rental car, public transportation, etc.), all food
options, etc. The exemplary system can also optimize the real-time
data obtained by the exemplary system. For example, the exemplary
system can incorporate statistical analysis to optimize the data
by, for example, filtering outlying data points. According to one
exemplary embodiment, the exemplary system can, for example, employ
variability statistics to identify data points that fall outside a
defined range, and apply various criteria to the identified outlier
data points to determine whether or not the identified outlier data
points should be included in determining the benchmark/forecast
data. For example, the defined range can be defined by the
distribution of the data points (e.g., a multiple of the
interquartile range, a multiple of a standard deviation, etc.) and
the criteria used to determine inclusion can be based on relevant
criteria for the type of travel and budget (e.g., travel time of
flights, location of accommodations, etc.). The exemplary system
can then use this data to construct and determine
benchmark/forecast pricing data in connection with the specified
trip based on the real-time pricing data. According to certain
exemplary embodiments, the data can be processed to construct and
determine benchmark/forecast pricing data at a remote database,
which can then be transmitted via network 106 to client 102.
Alternatively, the data can be transmitted via network 106 to
client 102 and the processing of the data to construct and
determine benchmark/forecast pricing data can be performed locally.
The exemplary system can also incorporate and consider any
corporate travel policies and requirements established by the
organization (e.g., class of travel, cost of meals, class of
accommodations, etc.). For example, filters can be automatically
applied to the query data to eliminate options that are out of
policy (e.g., eliminating first class airfare, eliminating
five-star hotels, etc.). This benchmark/forecast pricing data can
be then used to determine a budget (which can be approved by a
manager or the organization) in connection with trip specified by
the user.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, in determining the benchmark/forecast
pricing data, each mobile client device 102 can include a mobile
application. The mobile application can provide a user interface
through which a user can, for example, provide the relevant
information and parameters of the anticipated trip via the mobile
application. This information can be transmitted by mobile client
device 102 over network 106 to database 104. For example, database
104 can query other relevant databases (e.g., via application
programming interfaces (APIs) of, for example, an online travel
agency) to obtain data responsive to the queries in order to
construct and determine benchmark/forecast pricing data based on
the real-time pricing data, and transmit the benchmark/forecast
pricing data back to the mobile application on mobile client device
102 via network 106. An organization can opt to employ the
benchmark/forecast pricing data as the budget for the trip, or
further modify the benchmark/forecast pricing data to establish a
budget based on the benchmark/forecast pricing data.
[0022] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary travel expense
management apparatus 200 according to embodiments of the present
invention. As shown in FIG. 2, expense management apparatus 200 can
include user interface 202 (e.g., a graphical user interface),
query constructor 204, benchmark/forecast data constructor 206,
expense tracker 208, and can be configured, for example, to be a
mobile or web-based application that can be executed by a processor
of a computing system such as client 102. For example, user
interface 202 can allow a user of client 102 to provide the
relevant trip parameters. Query constructor 204 can construct
queries based on the parameters provided by the user, and
benchmark/forecast data constructor 206 can construct and/or
determine the benchmark/forecast pricing data based on the query
results. Further, expense tracker 208 can provide real-time
tracking of expenses, as further described herein. Additionally,
travel expense management apparatus 200 can include an attribution
analyzer 210 configured to analyze attribution data associated with
each user to provide curated recommendations based on the user's
history. According to certain embodiments, travel expense
management apparatus 200 can also include database 212 to store
various benchmark/forecast data, travel/booking history data,
attribution data, real-time flight tracking data, flight exchange
data, etc.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary flow diagram of an exemplary
method 300 according to embodiments of the present invention. As
shown in FIG. 3, in step 302, parameters associated with an event
can be received from a user. This can include, for example,
parameters such as dates for a trip, origin and destination, etc.,
and can be received via an application, such as an application
(e.g., web-based application or a mobile app) on a device such as
client 102. In step 304, custom queries can be constructed based on
the parameters received in step 302. These queries can be created
based on the parameters received in step 304 (e.g., dates of
travel, origin and destination, etc.). Further, these queries can
incorporate any policies an organization has in place (e.g., class
of travel, accommodation star rating, etc.). In step 306, the
constructed queries can be transmitted to the one or more databases
(e.g., database 104). In step 308, data responsive to the queries
can be received from the one or more databases. In step 310, the
system can consider whether any organizational policies and/or
requirements exist. If such policies and/or requirements exist,
they can be applied in step 312. After the organizational policies
are applied, in step 314, the exemplary method can confirm that
sufficient data has been received in accordance with the
organizational policies to construct and/or determine the
benchmark/forecast data that fulfills the requirements of the
organizational policies. If the organizational policies require
additional data, additional data is received in step 316, and the
exemplary method once again applies the organizational policies and
confirms that sufficient data has been received to conform to the
organizational policies. Obtaining additional data in step 316 can
include, for example, constructing additional queries and/or
accessing additional databases. Once it is determined that the data
complies with the organizational policies, benchmark/forecast data
can be constructed and/or determined in step 318. However, if no
such organizational policies and/or requirements exist, then the
benchmark/forecast data is constructed and/or determined in step
318 without applying any such organizational policies and/or
requirements and checking the sufficiency of the data with respect
to the organizational policies. In step 320, the benchmark/forecast
data can be transmitted to the user (e.g., client 102).
[0024] In addition to real-time benchmarking of anticipated travel,
certain embodiments of the present invention can enable
benchmarking and/or budgeting for a party, event, outing,
department, etc. For example, if a company were planning a party,
reception, launch, happy hour, conference, etc., embodiments of the
present invention can determine forecast benchmark/budget pricing
data for any such event. Similarly, the exemplary system can
perform queries of real-time pricing data in connection with the
parameters specified in connection with the event. This can
include, for example, the cost of venues, meals, drinks,
entertainment, decorations, etc. The exemplary system can then, for
example, determine benchmark/forecast pricing data based on the
real-time pricing data. The exemplary system can also incorporate
and consider any corporate policies and requirements established by
the organization (e.g., cost of meals, type of venue, etc.). This
benchmark/forecast pricing data can be then used as a budget, or be
used to establish a budget, in connection with the event being
planned.
[0025] In addition to determining benchmark/forecast pricing data
for a trip or event, exemplary embodiments of the present invention
can also provide automated real-time expense tracking and
reporting. For example, a user can track expenses incurred in
connection with the trip or event in real-time. A user can provide
expense information in real-time as expenses are being incurred
(e.g., meals, airfare, etc.) via the application on client 102,
which can then be tracked by the exemplary system. According to
certain exemplary embodiments, the real-time expense tracking can
be performed relative to a budget, such as the benchmark/forecast
information that can be constructed and determined according to
certain aspects of the present invention. For example, the mobile
application can include a graphical user interface (GUI) that can
graphically represent both the budget and the real-time tracking of
the expenses being incurred in connection with a trip or an event.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the GUI can
provide a graphical bar, pie-chart, graph, or other graphical
representation that shows the budget for the specific matter and
the real-time expenses as a proportion of the total budget as the
expenses are incurred in real-time. For instance, if a user has a
budget of $100 and incurs a $20 expense, the graphical
representation can depict the entire $100 budget, the $20 expense,
and the remaining $80 in the budget. Optionally, each expense can
be categorized and depicted individually (e.g., food/meals,
lodging, transportation, etc.). The graphical representation can
also provide one or more varying alerts (e.g., color changes,
pop-ups, etc.) at predetermined thresholds of the total remaining
budget (e.g., 10%, 15%, 20%, etc.) as the expenses are incurred in
real-time and tracked against the budget. For example, the
graphical representation can include a budget bar, which can
correspond to a budget determined based on the benchmark/forecast
pricing data. Then, as a user incurs and inputs expenses in
real-time, the bar can turn yellow when only 15% of the budget
remains, and can turn red once the user has reached and/or exceeded
the budget, FIG. 4 shows an exemplary screenshot 400 of a graphical
representation of the real-time expense tracking. As shown in FIG.
4, the exemplary system can provide a graphical representation of
real-time tracking of expenses as they are incurred relative to the
budget.
[0026] Optionally, exemplary embodiments of the present invention
can also provide automated real-time price verification. For
example, the exemplary system can continuously query real-time
pricing information even the benchmark/forecast data has been
established, and provide notifications (e.g., push notifications,
emails, text alerts, etc.) if it detects a change in pricing data
associated with the previously submitted queries. This can allow
for real-time updating of the benchmark/forecast data even after a
trip has begun. Alternatively, these real-time alerts can allow a
user to realize additional savings by potentially re-booking the
travel at the new reduced rates. According to certain embodiments,
the exemplary system can consider cancellation and/or change
policies of travel already booked and automatically re-book travel
that would result in additional savings in view of the cancellation
and/or change policies.
[0027] According to certain exemplary embodiments, each user
activated on the exemplary expense management system can have a
corresponding account, and the user can input expenses to the
exemplary through a variety of different channels. For example, the
user can input the information manually, via an image capture of a
document such as a receipt and having the system parse the text
using, for example, optical character recognition (OCR), by
emailing or uploading a document such as an e-receipt, or by
linking various payment/financial service and systems (e.g., a
corporate credit card, credit card, PayPal, automated clearing
house (ACH), other payment service, etc.) to his/her account and
having the transaction information be automatically ingested and
synchronized.
[0028] Additionally, the exemplary system can automatically compile
all the expenses that have been input in real-time and
automatically generate an expense report that can be automatically
submitted to the organization for reimbursement. The exemplary
system can also interface with accounting and payment systems with
the organization to facilitate automatic and/or real-time
reimbursement of the expense report. For example, the exemplary
system can interface various payment/financial service and systems
(e.g., a PayPal, ACH, Venmo or other peer-to-peer payment systems,
etc.). The exemplary system can also employ machine-learning to
further simplify and automate expense report generation and
submission. For example, the exemplary system can analyze past
historical data input to and captured by the system to identify
mappings, trends, relationships, pairings, etc. to automatically
categorize expenses. Accordingly, the exemplary system can
automatically classify expenses for specific expenses (e.g., for
specific vendors) as they are incurred based on past expense report
classifications and/or financial system information. For example,
if a user inputs an expense from a McDonald's, the system can
analyze past historical expense data to identify previous expenses
associated with McDonald's. The system can then identify and
analyze the classifications (e.g., such as a food or meal expense)
associated with the previous expenses associated with McDonald's
and can automatically categorize the expense accordingly (e.g., as
a food or meal expense) based on the analysis of the previous
classifications (e.g., which classification appears most often for
a given vendor, etc.). Additionally, if the expense were charged to
a credit card (or paid for using another financial system other
than cash), the system can augment the automatic classification by
incorporating data and coding information obtained from the credit
card and/or the financial system (e.g., credit card coding for a
restaurant, etc.) for the transaction.
[0029] The system can employ the machine learning on an individual,
organizational, or a system level. For example, an individual's
history can be analyzed to distill and determine individual
preferences. Alternatively, an organization's data, policies, and
classification categories can be utilized and applied, or the
exemplary system can employ the machine learning on a system-wide
basis such that the exemplary system would have access to a larger
set of historical data. Optionally, the exemplary system can employ
a hybrid system where certain aspects are performed on an
organizational level (e.g., category definitions) and other aspects
are performed on a system-wide basis (e.g., historical data).
[0030] According to certain exemplary embodiments of the present
invention, the real-time expense tracking and reporting is not
limited to an individual. For example, if a single budget is given
to multiple people traveling together or collaboratively planning
an event together, a group can be established and the real-time
expense tracking can be performed across all the members of the
group. For instance, a budget can be established based on the
benchmark/forecast pricing data for a specific matter (e.g.,
outing, party, happy hour, conference, etc.), and as any member in
the group incurs and inputs an expense in real-time in connection
with that matter, the real-time expense can be reflected on the
mobile applications of each of the group members. Accordingly,
where the expense tracking is graphically represented as a budget
bar, each expense incurred and input by each group member will
appear on the budget bar of each group member, graphically
representing the budget, the total expenses incurred, and the total
remaining budget. This not only allows each member to track the
budget, but creates visibility and accountability amongst the group
members for the expenses that each member has incurred. Similarly,
an expense report can be automatically compiled and submitted based
on the incurred expenses of all group members at the conclusion of
the project.
[0031] According to certain aspects, organizations can utilize the
benchmark/forecast budgeting and real-time expense tracking to
incentivize employees to reduce travel expenses. For example,
organizations can offer rewards for staying under budget by
offering employees a proportion of the amount the employee came in
under budget. For example, if an employee was approved a budget of
$1,000 for a trip and only expensed $500 on the trip, the
organization may choose to reward the employee by providing him/her
a proportion of the cost savings realized because of the employee's
cost-effective travel. The employee may have realized savings by
inconveniencing him/herself with inconvenient flights, asking a
friend for accommodations, etc. The organization may then reward
the employee by providing the employee a proportion (e.g., 10%,
20%, 50%, etc.) of the amount he/she was under budget to reward the
reduction in travel expenses. The organization benefits by
realizing a reduction in travel expenses, and the employee is
rewarded and incentivized to stay under budget and reduce
costs.
[0032] In addition to the user-focused functionality provided by
the exemplary system, embodiments of the present invention can also
provide managerial and/or organizational functionality. For
example, the managerial functionality can include the ability to
approve budgets based on benchmark/forecast pricing data, monitor
real-time expense tracking (relative to approved budgets), monitor
approve and process expense reports, etc.
[0033] Yet another embodiment of the present invention can provide
an exemplary system and method for incentivizing cost-effective
travel. For example, the exemplary system can include a travel
booking engine and interface to enable direct booking of travel via
the exemplary system. For instance, a user can directly book travel
via the mobile application similar to any online travel agent.
However, for each trip a user is looking to book, the exemplary
system can determine baseline pricing data based on trip parameters
in a manner similar to how benchmark/forecast pricing data is
determined, as described herein. Based on the baseline pricing
data, the exemplary system can determine rebate data associated
with each travel option based on the price of each travel option
relative to the baseline pricing data. For example, the rebate data
can be offered as points, rewards, cryptocurrency (e.g., Bitcoin),
monetary incentives, or other rebate system valid for future travel
and/or services. Optionally, the exemplary system can provide a
marketplace for exchanging or purchasing other goods or service
with the accrued rebates (e.g., peer-to-peer, rebate sharing,
etc.). Subsequently, each travel option can be presented
graphically to the user with the associated rebate values
associated with each travel option. According to certain exemplary
embodiments, the rebate values can be inversely proportional to the
cost of the travel option (i.e., a larger rebate can be associated
with a lower cost travel option and a smaller rebate can be
associated with a higher cost travel option). Accordingly, the user
would likely be incentivized to select the lower cost travel option
in order to obtain a greater rebate. Lower-cost travel options may
include flights departing from alternate airports, having more
stops, having less optimal departure and arrival times, etc. This
would benefit both the organization (i.e., by realizing more
cost-effective travel) and the user (i.e., by obtaining a larger
rebate for future travel and/or services).
[0034] Yet another embodiment of the present invention can provide
real-time and historical data analytics. For example, the exemplary
system can analyze and leverage the data input to the system to
provide real-time and historical analytics and recommendations,
via, for example, virtual agents, etc. The data input to the system
can include the data obtained from the benchmarking/forecast data,
expense report generation and submission data, receipt image
capturing, travel booking information, financial systems, etc. For
instance, the exemplary system can leverage historical and
real-time data to determine popular and trending vendors,
providers, and establishments and provide recommendations on where
to stay, where to find entertainment, how to get around (e.g.,
transportation options), where to eat, generally how much things
cost, etc. The exemplary system can utilize the historical data to
provide historical recommendations and can also analyze more recent
and real-time data to identify recent trends to provide relevant
real-time recommendations. As described herein, the exemplary
system can employ all data input to the system (e.g., receipt image
capture, benchmarking/forecast data, travel bookings, etc.) to
provide even further granular data analytics such as specific
dishes, entrees, appetizers, drinks, etc. are popular and
frequently ordered at a specific establishment. These
recommendations can be provided to a user while a user is
performing a search or as a push notification to the mobile client
of the user.
[0035] According to certain embodiments of the present invention,
the data can be mined and analyzed to provide customized
recommendations specific to each user. For example, the travel
booking data can be analyzed for specific attributions to distill
patterns and preferences for each given user. In addition to
high-level attributions such as airline, hotel brand, car service,
etc., the exemplary system can analyze data to determine more
subtle attribution preferences based on things, such as, e.g., user
type (e.g., corporate, solo, domain name, etc.), number/frequency
of bookings for a particular airport, a particular aircraft, a
particular airplane seat, a particular airplane seat for each
particular aircraft type, possibility of an upgrade, seat pitch,
size of plane, type of seat (e.g., lie-flat, recliner, etc.),
on-board amenities (e.g., meals, WI-FI, on-board entertainment,
etc.), possibility of colleagues on the flight/at the hotel,
on-time percentage, number of stops and/or layover, length of
layovers, credit cards, credit card reward programs, travel loyalty
programs (e.g., frequent flier program, hotel loyalty program,
etc.), time to travel to certain location, social
media/peer/crowd-sourced recommendations and trends, a particular
time of day to fly, a particular type of hotel room, a particular
type of restaurant, a particular dish at restaurants, etc.
Accordingly, the exemplary system can catalog a user's attribution
preferences and provide filtered and/or sorted results and options
based on the user's attribution preferences when the user is
searching to book travel. For example, the exemplary system can
prominently display preferred search results based on the user's
preference attributions that best fit the user's preference
attributions. Optionally, the exemplary system can also determine
which attributions are more important to each individual user so as
to provide difference weights of importance to the various
attribution preferences in recommending certain booking options.
Alternatively, the exemplary system can allow for the user to
indicate which attribution preferences are more important.
According to other aspects of the system, the exemplary system can
catalogue a user's credit cards and can also consider the types of
credit cards and the credit card rewards programs the user may have
and provide recommendations with respect to which credit card
should be used for each transaction to maximize the point earning
potential.
[0036] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary flow diagram of an exemplary
method 500 according to embodiments of the present invention. As
shown in FIG. 5, in step 502, parameters associated with a proposed
booking can be received from a user. This can include, for example,
parameters such as dates for a trip, origin and destination, etc.,
and can be received via an application, such as an application
(e.g., web-based application or a mobile app) on a device such as
client 102. In step 504, custom queries can be constructed based on
the parameters received in step 502. These queries can be created
based on the parameters received in step 504 (e.g., dates of
travel, origin and destination, etc.). Further, these queries can
incorporate any policies an organization has in place (e.g., class
of travel, accommodation star rating, etc.). In step 506, the
constructed queries can be transmitted to the one or more databases
(e.g., database 104). In step 508, data responsive to the queries
can be received from the one or more databases. In step 510, the
system can consider whether any booking history associated with the
user exists. If such booking history exists, they can be analyzed
in step 512 to distill and determine a user's attribution
preferences. After the booking history has been analyzed and a
user's attribution preferences have been determined, the responsive
query data is filtered and/or sorted based on the determined
attribution preferences in step 514. Next, in step 516, proposed
booking options are provided to the user (e.g., on client 102).
[0037] Yet another embodiment of the present invention can also
provide a social networking aspect. For example, users within a
common organization can be linked, and users within the
organization can see which flights, hotels, restaurants, etc. their
colleagues have booked, and allow for alignment of itineraries.
According to certain aspects, the exemplary system can allow
colleagues to see where their colleagues are seated on a plane
(e.g., if flying on the same flight), where colleagues have stayed,
where colleagues have eaten, where colleagues have hosted events,
etc.
[0038] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary processing
arrangement 600 according to embodiments of the present invention,
on which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be
implemented. As shown in FIG. 6, processing arrangement 600 can
include memory 604, processor 606, network interface 608, display
610 and input/output device 612. Processing arrangement 600 may
illustrate at least a portion of any systems, such as client device
102, a user may use in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention. According to embodiments of the present invention,
processing arrangement 600 can be configured and/or programmed to
perform the exemplary methods described herein. For example, a
mobile or web-based application can be stored in memory 604 and
executed by processor 606. Further, network interface 608 can, for
example, facilitate transmitting and receiving data (e.g.,
wirelessly or wired) via a network to database 104. Further, GUIs
and graphical representations can be displayed on display 610 and
input/output device 612 can be used by a user to input various
parameters and provide certain information.
[0039] The embodiments and examples shown above are illustrative,
and many variations can be introduced to them without departing
from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, elements and/or
features of different illustrative and exemplary embodiments herein
may be combined with each other and/or substituted with each other
within the scope of the disclosure. For a better understanding of
the disclosure, reference should be had to any accompanying
drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated
exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
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